The whinge thread

[gill216]

I'll start this off with Parcelforce.

Sent 4 teachests to Spain last Thursday on 3 working days delivery, so they should have arrived yesterday. Only 1 did. I arrived back in Leeds on Monday, got lost until today and I've just had to go to the depot, repack it (that was interesting- bra's & knickers amongst other things all over parcelforce office )and pay £94 to start again. Apparently I can claim back the original postage but as it only cost £200 for 4 boxes why do I get the feeling I'm about to lose out?

The other 2 boxes are lost in Spain

The box that did arrive contained shoes, bikini's,dressing gowns and cushions. Aint she going to look good wearing that combination

[BassBloke]

Oh, don't get me started.

BT.

I tried for months to ring up to set up a Direct Debit. Never got through. So, thought I would try the website. Tried to set up a DD on that and every time I tried for weeks it just kept saying there was some problem with the service.

Then opted for a full payment on each bill via Debit Card. Wow!! I managed to get the stupid web site to accept it. Got a notification that the card payment was all set up and everything. Result.

NO. Not a result. Because, what should come flying through my door a couple of weeks ago?? Oh yes. A RED BILL. So, I went back to the web site and found no payment had been made from the debit card. RUBBISH. So, one last attempt to set up a DD and this time it accepted it saying payment would be taken in 16 days.

Now. The question is; Will I get another red bill, or even be cut off, in the mean time? Can't wait to find out. Pah.

BT? Don't talk to me about BT.

Cheers. BB.

[giraffe]

British Gas.

A nice man came out and told me my boiler is past it. I can spend £800 having it cleaned (and still need a new boiler soon) or get a new boiler. And he would sell me a new radiator to replace a dodgy one for £145.

So he made me an appointment with another bit of British Gas to have a quote for a new boiler. Second man told me that he had a special offer on a Baxi boiler which would cost ONLY £2700, but he couldn't do the radiator or anything else as that quote was only for JUST having the boiler replaced. So he gave me another quote for having the Baxi boiler with the radiator. £4200 , but he could knock £150 off for trading in the old one and £100 for something else and £200 off for it being a Tuesday etc and the cost would actually be £3600.

So the same boiler with the radiator is almost £1000 more than without the radiator.
Or I could have the radiator on its own for £189, and separately have the lower quote for the boiler , but it couldn't be done as one job.!!!

So I told him that British gas had quoted £145 for the radiator, and he suggested that I accept the quote for £145 for the radiator and £2700 for the boiler and ask to have them done at the same time.

At this point I felt like it was all a big con and started phoning around for a quote for the boiler from anyone other than British gas.

[Bunnylump]

The box that did arrive contained shoes, bikini's,dressing gowns and cushions. Aint she going to look good wearing that combination

Quite a combo. She could start a new trend!

Giraffe - my OH has an air-conditioning business and has therefore done all the training courses to be able to service our boiler (he's Corgi registered). How often do you suppose our boiler gets serviced? Yes, you guessed it, only when it breaks down. (They do say the Cobbler's children are always the worst shod, don't they?) Oh, and OBVIOUSLY we don't have any air-conditioning either.

[gill216]

Parcelforce update.

2 boxes lost in Spain arrived Friday morming. 1 box that had to be repacked in Leeds arrived in Spain this morning. (They don't deliver on Saturday according to their contracts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Now for the compensation fight. 3 out of 4 delayed and £95 postage to be re claimed

Any updates on the boiler and BT?

[giraffe]

Someone's coming on 6th Jan to quote.
(Just getting through to thm on the phone took 2 days and about 20 attempts, but they are recommended by friends)


Another rant. People who move house in August, but don't tell you until the Christmas card which arrives on 23rd December!

[Laura]

My whinge - photocopying.

I am a music teacher. You would think that my job mostly involved teaching music - Oh no!

Carol concert last Thursday. For the rehearsal on Wednesday I did 140 copies of the programme which I had deigned and made, according to the list of things I had to include, which I had been given. Complicated photocopying mind you, one side colour, one side black and white, back to back. Then folded them all. Took ages.

So we get half-way through the rehearsal, and the drama lady says 'One of the drama pieces is not on the programme'. Well, no. Its not. Cos it wasn't on the list I was given. Neither are the prayers says the head teacher. Well, no, cos they weren't on the list either. So I have to re-do the programme. Which involves lots of re-jigging so that everything still fits on.

Thursday morning, there I am, two hours til the start of concert, photocopying away. Whole new batch of programmes. Get a load of kids to fold them. 'Hurray, done!' I think.


Erm, no. There are black lines photocopied across one side of every programme. Have to print the black and white sides off the printer, then copy the coloured sides onto the back. I swear, by this time there was steam coming out of my ears and small children were running away from me, terrified at the sight.

Anyhoo, batch three were fabulous, concert was fabulous, my little girls performed amazingly, and I turned from Scrooge back into a reasonable human being. I hate Christmas sometimes!!!

[SparkOut]

Well, I'll say "Well done and thank you, congratulations on a great performance, and your efforts are appreciated - with the children and with the programme" - because I'll bet you never got that from the other staff. Especially the ones who were supposed to have let you have the info to include in the programme in the first place.

[eirian]

I will second Sparkie's comment. Well done on getting it done. I'm an admin assistant for a local council and know how b*****y frustrating photocopiers are at the best of times,without work colleagues being quite so unhelpful. Congratulation on getting that programme produced - and of course your efforts with the rest of the production.


I'm just going to say that our new kitchen was supposed to be MFI..... We're still waiting for them to tell us if they are going to refund us so we can get it from somewhere else. For once, we're grateful our builder is being slow - if he'd stuck to his original timetable to get it all finished for Christmas, we'd really have something to whinge about, as it is, I don't think we need to start panicking until the New Year, at which point, if MFI still haven't refunded, I'll start really getting annoyed!

As it is, we don't need the kitchen yet as we'll be visiting parents for Christmas, and, as Scurra will be there, I'm open to offers for what I can do to him to get him back for the torture he's putting us through with these puzzles!

[LAT]

Ooh, there's an invitation

Oh and well done to Laura, sounds like an awful lot of work, I hope you did get some gratitude.

[Laura]

Well, thankyou all! It does make me feel better actually! The big bonus is always that the kids I teach appreciate it, even if not very many other people do. I'm now Christmassy, and not Scroogey!!!

[Bunnylump]

You music teachers work so hard it's amazing. I take my virtual hat off to you! I am totally with you on the photocopier and teachers not telling you things until the last minute... I've been there and got the T shirt! Glad it all got sorted in the end though!

[I'm now Christmassy, and not Scroogey!!!
/quote]

Sadly, I'm still Scroogey and not Christmassy at all. Any suggestions to get me going?

Eirian - what a nightmare! I hope you get that sorted out ok. You won't be wanting to be without a kitchen with little addition(s) on the way!

Scurra will be there, I'm open to offers for what I can do to him to get him back for the torture he's putting us through with these puzzles!

I suggest leaving the threepenny bit in his Christmas pudding and not telling him it's there!

[gill216]

ROYAL MAIL.

I'm not having a lot of luck with post am I. Today's saga.

A card was put through our letterbox at around 8am this morning to say postie had called with a special delivery.

1. I was up and about and he definitely didn't ring our doorbell or knock on the door. How else was he going to get an answer. (I've had this before- Postie doesn't like to disturb people )

2. Parcel was addressed to my daughter, who as you all know, is now resident in Spain. I was expecting this package. It contains photos he had taken at nursery before they left.

3 Went to sorting office and got jobsworth. No I dont have any ID for Ms Spencer, she is living in Spain etc etc but I do have my driving licence with my address on which is the same as the address on the parcel and I have the card you put through MY door. Told her where the parcel had been posted, told her what it contained. Could I have it-NO. It needs a signature. OK I'll sign for it, you have proof that the address is the same and you can see that the photo on my driving licence is me. Sorry cant do. Fine what next? Well I can re deliver it to you in the morning. But I will open the door (if the postman knocks that is) and I will still sign for it and it will still be me. How about you save everyone the trouble? No chance. Ok. Deliver it tomorrow. Can't do that. Why? Ms Spencer will have to ring up and request redelivery.

End result. I rang up from outside their door and told her I was Ms Spencer. Twas the same woman. I was looking at her through the window. Maybe I will get it tomorrow, maybe not.

[Laura]

How familiar! I can't remember the number of times this has happened to me, without the added complications of people in Spain of course. It obviously extends across the whole of Yorkshire.

Any advances on overly polite / lazy postmen???? We could do a survey, and see what percentage of Britain has this problem!!!

[Looby]

I have a wonderful postman!
If I'm not in he'll sign for things for me or leave them with a neighbour.
Also if he finds something when he's sorting that doesn't have the right postage he'll let it through without charging extra.
He's been doing this round for at least 20 years - but at Christmas time they often move him to a different round so that it's not him there to give a Christmas box!

[giraffe]

My postman is great too. Most of the post that came this morning was addressed to our old address, but he just forwards it to us as it is still on his round. This includes things for the people I used to work for, because he knows it's me. (Yes I have told everyone the new address, and I have also done a mail redirect, but that doesn't seem to do much, very little seems to have the official redirect sticker on it)

[Laura]

Great. So its just West Yorkshire who have hopeless posties!!!

[gill216]

Ha. I beat them at their own game. Postie came and went without delivering said package so I took myself back to the sorting office at lunchtime. i.e their busiest time. Same jobswoth but on her own with a queue out of the door.

Approached the problem from a different angle, No, I'm not expecting you to give me this parcel but it's pointless re-delivering tomorrow (or anyday soon) as no -one will be there to receive it.

I lied.

Not only can you not deliver it, I cant collect it either, so what can we do to resolve the situation? What will eventually happen?
It will be returned to another office said she, and the sender will have to write to them to have it returned to her and then she can start again. At this point she was looking at her overflowing office and the queue outside the door. No problem said I. Lets start that process now and since I'm here I will ring her now so you can give us names, telephones numbers and the address that we need to contact so there are no further misunderstandings. Whipped my phone out of my bag and dialled my own number so it would ring engaged. Smiled sweetly and apologised to the angry folks behind me for holding up the queue. I left with the package within 30 seconds.

Result.

[kathlyn]

well done Gill. I like happy endings

[LAT]

Brilliant Gill!

We had a lovely postie here for years then he gave it up and we had a few different ones but now we have a super lady. She is tiny but always cheerful and friendly and will always try the door or leave things by our back door if she doesn't need a signature. And even the local sorting office is fine about handing over stuff as long as we have the card with us.